Hail Britannia – God Save the Seals!

May 15, 2006

Hail Britannia - God Save the Seals!

The word today from Great Britain is wonderful news for the seals. Britain is pushing ahead with an import ban on all seal skins.

The British government wants this ban implemented as soon as possible. The British public is outraged and horrified by the mass cruel slaughter of harp seal pups every spring on the East coast of Atlantic Canada.

Britain will also work to expand this ban on seal pelts to all of Europe.

A senior British government spokesperson was quoted in the Sunday Mirror as stating, "The view is that the continued import of seal products is untenable. Ministers think we should start work with European partners to stop imports."

At present, only the import of skins of newborn whitecoat seal pups is banned in Britain. Harp seals can be killed and imported to the EU when they shed their distinctive white coats - usually at just 12 days of age.

Canada argues that a baby seal is not a baby seal after 12 days. Although the animal cannot swim, is not fully weaned, and cannot escape or defend itself from the brutes with the clubs, Canada insists it is an adult animal.

The banning of all seal pelts will do away with this semantic nonsense.

"This is great news for the seals and for the campaign to end the cruel and bloody massacre of seal pups in Canada," said Captain Paul Watson, Founder and President of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. "The way to shut this obscene slaughter down is with economic pressure. We need to boycott everything Canadian, especially Canadian seafood products and tourism to Canada, and we need to shut down the markets worldwide. This is an economic war and the markets are the vulnerable targets. This decision by Britain is another nail in the coffin for the disgraceful and shameful advocates of this vicious industry."

Click here to learn more about Sea Shepherd's 30-year history of work to save the seals.